The Plastics Pipe Institute, Inc. (PPI) has two new technical reports available that discuss steps for the fusion of polyethylene and PA12 pipe. TR-49 Generic Electrofusion User Guide for Field Joining of Polyethylene Gas Piping and TR-50 Generic Butt Fusion Joining Procedure for Field Joining of Polyamide-12 (PA12) Pipe are available without charge at the association’s Energy Piping Systems Division website at https://plasticpipe.org/energy/. PPI is the major North American trade association representing the plastic pipe industry.
Randy Knapp, Ph.D., engineering director of the Energy Piping Systems Division of PPI, said that heat fusion of polyethylene pipe has provided leak-free joints for more than four decades.
“A PPI task group was formed in 2017 to examine the differences and similarities among the varying joining procedures. It was also a goal to provide a more uniform or ‘generic’ joining procedure that could be implemented by pipeline operators for regulated gas applications as required by the Code of Federal Regulations, Title 49,” Knapp said.
The new TR-49 report is a step-by-step guide that encompasses the task group’s findings and also contains guidance based on leading gas utility review and the latest research on surface preparation, cleaning and scraping techniques published by the Gas Technology Institute (GTI). This user guide is the first of its kind to provide generic industry guidance for electrofusion developed in cooperation with leading gas utilities.
Knapp said the other guide, TR-50, focuses on one of the newest gas piping materials. Polyamide-12 (PA12) piping is now approved for use in regulated gas applications and is well suited for high-pressure gas installations. This new PPI technical report provides a uniform joining procedure that brings a greater consistency to this aspect of gas pipeline installation, will help to facilitate the pipeline operator’s efforts to qualify the procedure and reduce costs. It also discusses fusion parameters and visual inspection guidelines specific to PA-12.
Additional information can be found at the PPI website at www.plasticpipe.org.
